10/1 – Berlinale Day 1

In for a slow start:

Panorama Dokumente
Opening Film: “Strange Culture”, Lynn Hershman Leeson (USA)
Insightfully biased documentary, pleasurably defending civil liberties against state paranoia.

Just enough time for me to squeeze in half of the Short Films Competition I, which once again proved, if such was necessary, that the Berlinale is just no home to these. Sorry, but seems to me that for our Filmfestspiele to recover some of the lost ground with respect to this important genre still more re-organizing effort is called for.

37^th Forum
“Aju teukbyeolhan sonnim/Ad Lib Night”, Lee Yoon-ki (South Korea)
Big-city escape construed from delicately random impersonation - a mild disappointment.

(pic©berlinale.de)